Tigers make questionable roster move with pitcher that will hit fans in the feels

In mid-August, longtime Tigers reliever Alex Lange returned to the mound after a 15-month absence following a lat surgery. He threw a scoreless inning in a Tigers win over the Astros and was emotional after the game, saying, "I'm getting goosebumps right now re-living it. All the fans down in the bullpen all day saying 'welcome back' is pretty special, and running back in one more time was a lot of fun."

But it's still impossible to say what on earth the Tigers were doing with their bullpen over the last two months of the season. Relievers went up and down from the majors to the minors seemingly at random, even if they put up nice outings when they were with the big league team.

Lange was back for that single inning, and then he was sent down again and replaced by Drew Sommers. It was his one and only appearance of the season.

On Wednesday, the Tigers picked up pitcher Dugan Darnell off waivers from the Pirates, and made the brutal decision to DFA Lange to make room on the 40-man roster.

Tigers pick up pitcher Dugan Darnell off waivers from Pirates, designate Alex Lange for assignment

It's simply a mystifying decision. Darnell was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Rockies in 2021 and he got his major league debut with them this season, pitching 11 2/3 innings for a 3.86 ERA. But then he hit the 15-day IL (and then the 60-day) with hip inflammation before he was DFA'd late last month. The Pirates claimed him on waivers and immediately added him to the 60-day IL, only to DFA him again seven days later.

The Tigers' bullpen strategy throughout the 2025 season was impossible to discern, and it's clearly extending into their offseason. Lange, a former first-round pick for the Cubs, was disappointing from 2021-2024 and frequently injured, but what do the Tigers suppose they're going to do with an injured pitcher with almost zero major league experience?

It's particularly brutal because Lange was so excited to return and so appreciative of his teammates and the fans. It's just business at the end of the day, but if the Tigers claimed Darnell only to flip him off of the roster for another waiver claim in just a few days' time, dumping Lange will look all the more heartless.